What I Learned on my Summer Holiday

By Carol Fulton and Vi Maeers

1. Top Ten Things we Learned on our Summer Holiday

We did it--physically, we're in pretty good shape
Prayer works!!--Angels come to help when you call them.
Quinoa is a wonder food
Maps and directions don't necessarily help--asking people works!!
A bio-degradable, no-garbage world is possible
Vegan meals can taste good
You really don't smell after 3 days with no shower and eating a diet of garlic
Padded bike shorts don't necessarily decrease the numbness in the butt
Pinky fingers go numb for weeks after cycling down mountains
A profusely leaking hydration pack is not a pretty sight from the back
The true meaning of AAADD

Carol’s e-mail to the faculty

Hi everyone,
In a brief moment of insanity I signed up for one of these bicycle tours this summer. They sound educational, interesting and like a lot of hard work but fun. Here is the information if anyone is interested.
Carol

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IN MOTION BIKE TOUR – http://www.democracybike.com

Bike hundreds of miles. Meet incredible people. Participate in amazing service projects. Stay on organic farms and work to promote sustainable food growth practices. Study and work with Native American communities. Live with the land and camp under the stars. Change your world, one mile at a time.

This summer, you can take an extraordinary journey. Tune up your bike, pack your bags, and join fellow riders from all over the world for an incredible excursion across Oregon, utilizing the most sustainable method of transportation available: your own bike.

Study and apply the philosophies of permaculture, alternative building, appropriate technology and sustainable energy.
Spend time with Native American communities, work with salmon restoration and indigenous building practices.
Gain a deeper understanding of how organic food is grown, and distributed.
Explore some of the most beautiful places in Oregon while learning about natural history, deep ecology, and environmental ethics.
Observe local economics projects and grassroots democracy struggles in places through which you travel.
Participate in a traveling community of cyclists coming from all over North America with a variety of backgrounds but with a shared longing for a better world.
Discover consensus decision-making and use it to make collective decisions within your community.
Learn about nutrition, health and fitness through long-distance cycling.

2. Vi responded—and then the fun began

[Show slides from Preparations folder--Vi has on laptop--maybe I should quickly take a few shots of us with Evan, western Cylce Bike Shop, some pictures of us cycling in Regina, us on bikes or stairs in the gym--I can do this on Monday]
a. Registering for event
b. Organizing our summer holidays/conferences etc make everything work out
c. Buying a bike
d. Buying gear
e. Hiring a personal trainer
f. Training—gym and on the road
g. Visiting MEC in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver
http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp?bmUID=1187979333036
h. Packing and organizing our gear
i. Getting to Portland

3. In Portland

[Show slides from SEIM Base Camp folder--Vi also has some on laptop]
--at base camp—getting ready, learning how to change and fix a flat tire (very important information); learning about our service projects; learning about the kayaking experience; David Rovics (riot folk singer).
Sunnyside Environmental School--see http://www.environmentalschool.org/

Food for Thought Cafe --see http://www.upa.pdx.edu/SP/ 4. On the Road

http://www.google.ca/maps

[Show a variety of pictures of Carol and I (and others) cycling--throughout the tour; put in chronological order]--select from all flickr accounts.
—our adventure begins [slide show with some comments—highlighting our adventures—it may not be a day-to-day adventure report (this would take too long), rather some pictures capturing the highlights of the experience from a cycling perspective]
(focus on day 2)
Tillamook Cheese Factory--see http://www.tillamookcheese.com/default.aspx
Bay City Arts Center--see http://web.mac.com/baycityartscenter/iWeb/site/Welcome.html
Cape Lookout--see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Lookout_(Oregon)

5. The service projects—what we did, how we helped

[Show slides from different service project folders]
Hank's (Lunacy) Strawberry Farm
Nehalem Community Trust--see http://www.nehalemtrust.org/index.htmlFoodroots

FoodRoots Project--see http://www.foodrootsnw.org/
B Street Project--see http://www.pacificu.edu/as/enviro/perm/permaculture.cfm

On the more serious side:

Over 80% of Oregon is clear cut--see article by one of our tour colleagues--see

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=35423

Lumbering practices can be sustainable; wood has to have a specific stamp regarding sustainable practices

I felt a bit like a kindergartener; not much to offer; solar panels of rook to heat pool, recycle cans, bottles etc, but no involvement in any social activist project
listened a lot to what others were talking about/had experienced; learned many great ideas for local involvement/school environmental projects etc; met some wonderful people with whom I will continue to communicate; have visited large grocery stores in Regina--asked about organic produce; asked about locally grown organic produce--> nothing; farmers' market has some organic.
I am interested in slowly replacing home products with organic/natural products
What about Teacher Education--some opportunities to collaborate with folks from the tour and/or with other organizations to work on joint sustainable projects--nice connection with Science Education and Outdoor Education here in our faculty; good connection also with OCRE--indeed many possibilities for OCRE to focus on projects like we experienced.

SummerHoliday